A Star and a Blue rose
by XxXDanatyXxX
Summary: The dreams of a young girl were destroyed when she was murdered, two years have passed since then and a young man promised to someone he doesn't love tries his best to life. A promise chains them together in an unsure future, between life and death. A corpse Bride Au.
1. Rings

**Chapter 1: Rings**

* * *

_It isn't too late yet! I can escape!_

The girl with a white wedding dress thought as she ran far away for the place she once called home, the wedding was going to be tomorrow and even if the groom was kind to her, she didn't love him enough to marry him.

So what better way to evade a wedding she didn't want but the one that her adoptive parents were forcing her to marry because he was quite prominent economically?

Elope Alone, of course!

The plan was simple, at midnight she was going to go right away, the only thing that she didn't thought was that she will have to escape with her wedding dress, the last inconvenient moment came when her adoptive mother decided to do the wedding dress test so late at night and as much as she wanted to take it off at first, she couldn't help feeling happy with it.

She always believed that she could marry with someone she loved, she had dreams of being happy, wearing a beautiful dress like this one at her wedding, it has been her dream since she was a little girl and she won't let it be tainted by her adoptive parents pressure, or the thought of being promised to a boy she didn't love, she at least will have this small happiness with her, the wedding dress will be her good luck charm for a new beginning.

They called her selfish once when she brought the theme to them, she was immediately shut down; they explained that she should be thankful for them to pick her off the orphanage, that they felt horrified when she told them that she didn't want to marry the rich young man, they told her the same thing over and over.

_You're so blessed, you need to show gratitude for all the years we wasted with you, the only good thing about you is your good looks, you're already an alien ogre that should be less in this town, but you're not because of us._

That was the mantra they used to manipulate her for most of her life and at the age of Twenty-two she had enough, she will be happy in her own way, she only cursed that it took her too long to decide it.

And now here she was, running to the woods while wearing her wedding dress at midnight, the night was cold and the moon gave her the light she needed to see, it was only when she couldn't run more that she stopped to take air.

She looked around, she never was this far from home and for the first time she experimented freedom, she laughed and smiled while twirling around, feeling like the princess in her books.

The woods looked mysterious but she didn't feel scared, the big impotent tree was an interesting sight for her, she wasn't intimidated by anything in the woods.

Until she heard a branch being broken behind her.

"I finally found you, _my dear muse_" a cloaked figure stepped out of the shadows, covered in a big black hat and a black cloak, the voice was the one of a young man.

She tensed as she hears his steps, turning around to see him, feeling suddenly scared as the man approached to her, it was the same sensation that has been happening in recent weeks, the one of being _watched_.

_So I was right, someone was really following me these days._

"Please, talk" The man said " I want to keep hearing your voice"

She keeps quiet, this wasn't good, something about this man and the way he talked to her make her have goosebumps, she needed to flee.

"Still don't want to talk, don't worry I will make you talk" His tone was low "But first, let's begin with our love, _my muse_"

* * *

Ataru wasn't new to superstitions, he was a human representation of one, since he was born in the day universally known as the one with bad luck, his name literally means a falling star to get hit, he was also used of being called the walking chaos.

However, he was also a famous for being a flirty young man among the ladies and his actions increased recently but the truth that no one knew besides him was that he was doing it to treasure the freedom of doing what he wants before marrying his best friend.

He liked Shinobu and there was a time in their childhoods when he really liked her in a romantic way but now it was different, they were good friends and nothing more, sadly his family needed money to get out of the bankruptcy, so the best option for them was to marry Shinobu and he didn't like that, Shinobu didn't deserve that, no one deserved to marry someone just for money, she also loved someone else and sure he was flirty but he wanted to fall in love with the person he gets married to, he didn't like to be chained with someone he didn't love romantically.

But life never let him be completely happy for his dismay.

He practiced his vows now and then, he at least wanted to do it right, after his mistakes in the practice last night, when he once again screw up and now there was only one week and three days left until his wedding.

_Damn it all_

"You look troubled, Ataru" an old woman voice said and he looked at her, it was Kaede, an old nurse of the small hospital that was in town, she was one of the few people who liked to talk to him.

"Yeah, it's because of what you saw last night" he said with a false smile.

"You should practice your vows in the woods, I been told that there is a big tree that gives the blessing of good luck to the young couples in love that are going to get married"

_We're not in love though_

"Really?" Ataru began" why is this the first time I heard about it?"

"Well you been only living here for six months and it hasn't been a wedding since then, it not surprising for the tradition to not being brought it up, after all this town is filled by adult people now, the only young ones are you and Shinobu, since we are excluding the children in this"

"Oh, that explains the silence about it" He was curious now, not even Shinobu told him about that tradition" Kaede, can you tell me about that tree tradition, please?"

"Sure, It all happened two years ago, when a young woman one year younger than you called Lum, eloped with her true love before her wedding, wearing her wedding dress, at first the people said that she dismissed the family that treated her like their own daughter but people who knew better talked that they were only using her, the tradition says that they promised each other in the big old tree and the moon sealed their pact before going to another country, since then people who go there had amazing results with their love life"

"Why did you wait so long to tell me that story?" It was the first time Ataru heard something so romantic besides his literature books" I been missing out an interesting thing about this town"

"Because I wanted to tell you in the preparations for your marriage, after all, you deserve the best luck my boy" She smiled.

"Thanks, I will really need that" Ataru smiled, he wanted to tell her the truth, that he didn't love her future wife to be but he couldn't, he didn't want her to trouble her good intentions.

* * *

Ataru was sure that this had to be a lie created by the town, but here he was at night practicing his vows at the moon with the company of the big tree and the woods, the cold of the place make him feel alive.

"I ask you to be …What?" Ataru face palmed himself as he committed for the six-time the same mistake, he needed to do this right, but it was so hard for him to say the last few words.

_Maybe is because I don't want her to be mine_

He left his thoughts as he saw the ring he put on the finger that connected his heart so he couldn't lose it and began again with a clearer voice.

_**With this hand, I will lift your sorrows**_

_**Your cup will never be empty,**_

_**for I will be your wine. **_

_**With this candle,**_

_**I will light your way into the darkness**_

It was going all smoothly and it was coming the hard part and he needed to say it right, so he decided to imagine that he really meant those words, that those were for the one who will love him forever, the one he decided to marry.

_It´s ok to lie to myself sometimes_

He heard the sound of the church bell, he needed to finish it fast before the last bell rings, the one that announced the curfew.

He felt the inspiration fill him and saw a branch, he knew what to do.

The second bell rang-

_**With this ring, **_

_**I ask you to be mine**_

He put the ring in the branch.

The last bell rang.

"Crap, I need to go!" He said in a loud voice before running to the town, forgetting the ring in the branch.

* * *

_You're incredible Ataru, you lost the ring while practicing in the woods, when will be the day when you will stop being an idiot?_

He was thankful that the other practice day was tomorrow, still, that didn't help him for not being terrified when he found out that he didn't have the other ring.

The anxious feelings only increased when he couldn't take out the ring he had on his finger, no matter how many methods he tried, it was stuck in it.

"Can wait to wear it until your wedding?" one of the fishermen said when he saw him" damn Moroboshi, you're so eager!"

"Yeah, yeah" he said ignoring the man, the rest of the day he finished all his tasks, even the groom suit test and he didn't have time to take it off so he went in the night to the woods like a groom, because he didn't have time.

He began walking towards the place he practiced before and stopped when he saw someone looking at the tree, the veil and the white color of the dress, told him that it was a bride but…

_What is a bride doing here at night?_

He walked slowly and the ring in his finger began to feel warm.

"Miss?"

And then she turned around and looked at him, the moonlight made it easier to see her; her right hand was normal like his but the other one was only bone, her right ribs were showing due to the hole in her wedding dress, once white, now it looked more gray and was a bit tore up in her right side showing that her right was completely bone except for the skin that still covered her foot and her ankle, he came closer to her to have a better look and saw that her hair was long and dark blue, her sunken eyes matched the color of her hair, the skin was a soft blue.

She was beautiful in his eyes, the moonlight was a short comparison of her mystic beauty.

"Who are you?" The young girl said still looking at him, intrigued" And what are you doing here?"

Ataru knew that something wasn't right, that she wasn't normal, that she looked like a corpse but there was something about her, that he couldn't feel scared about it.

"I came here to find something"

"Oh, what is it?" she said smiling" It's been a long while since I been outside why don't I help you search for it?"

"Sure" he couldn't find any words, she sounded like any other girl"It's shiny"

"Ok! I will help you find it!" She said with a beautiful smile, bumped up of the idea to help and began to look around.

"So, are you a ghost who is going to kill me or…?" he began slowly as he looked around, trying to calm his beating heart.

"Of course I won't kill you, silly!" She said looking in the bushes" I am a corpse, not a ghost or a murderer!"

"Wait, you're really dead?!" Ataru said putting on hold his search and he saw her, she nodded, this was so strange but he didn't want to finish the conversation "But why are you wondering in the woods, did you walk here from the cemetery?"

_Why are we even having a conversation? How can she even talk or walk? I am probably hallucinating, maybe I am the one going crazy? Well I probably must be since I am not terrified by her right now_

She stopped searching and walked towards him, she had a look of confusion and….sadness?

"I think I was buried here, down the tree" She said slowly, she looked conflicted" I don't remember much of what happened, it's been so long"

"It's ok, you don't have to answer me but I can't believe you were buried here and with that wedding dress!" He came closer to her, wanting to know more" After all a friend of mine told me that this place gives people good luck in their love life, thanks to the true love feelings of the couple who eloped together two years ago, it's almost like a sacred place"

"Two persons?" She said, something didn't fit with what he said but she didn't know why.

"Yes, two and that's the reason why I decided to practice my vows here, it was all going okay until I noticed that I forgot the ring"

Her right hand held her skeletal one after he said that.

"I think I ha-"

"But now that I think about it, the woman who eloped had a name, it was Lum"

She looked at him with a surprised expression.

"What?" Something began to shine in one of her skeletal fingers, he looked down, it was-

"That's the ring!" She hold her skeletal hand" Why do you have it?"

However, she didn't respond, she still looked at him with the same expression.

"Are you oka-"

"That's _my_ name" She said with a worried tone" I'm Lum!"

"Wait, that means that.." Ataru began feeling scared for the first time.

"I didn't elope, I was killed here" She managed to say, momentary in shock" Did all of them thought that I was alive?"

"Lum calm down!" He said holding both of her hands, trying to calm her down after their realization, he ignored how shiny and warm was becoming the ring on his finger.

But she noticed it and that broke temporally the shock, she then looked down at her hand and saw how hers was becoming shinier as well.

"Something is happening with our rings, you have to take off your ring right now!" She said with a nervous tone as she let her hands-free again from his grasp and tried to take hers off, but it didn't work.

"I already tried to do that all day but it seems like it has been glued to my finger!"

"But why is it like this?" She began and then, they heard the sound of a crow, they looked around them and saw a large group of crows in the trees.

"Were they here before?" Ataru said, something didn't felt right.

"No, I was alone"

_Let the vows_

_unchain me _

_of this faith_

Her head began to hurt a lot suddenly and the strength left her legs, making her almost collapse if it wasn't for the young man, who caught her in time with his arms.

"Hey" His tone showed his worry" You okay?!"

"I am sorry, my head began to hurt and.." he was still holding her, he was warm, she felt weak.

The crows crowed began to sound louder.

_Let the words _

_Of true love_

_be the key for _

_my freedom_

She began to close her eyes, she felt suddenly tired.

"Lum?!" The boy with brown hair and a worried expression was the last thing she saw before she closed her eyes, leaving her in the darkness.

_Let the rings_

_In our hands _

_Be the string _

_That unites us_

_In life or death_

She wasn't responding and the crows began to fly towards them, the boy cursed and held the girl close to him, dead or alive, she was still a girl and he will never let something happened to her.

_Let me fall in love_

_One last time_

The crows twirled around them, still crowing, it only took them an instant to transform into a black tornado and when the crows later on dispersed from it, there wasn't anyone in the place the two persons once where.

_Let me stood up_

_One more time_

* * *

_A/N: I will begin with this Au because it kinda grew on me, also as you noticed already, this will be a crossover fic, with a few characters you will later recognize!_

_See you all soon!_


	2. The Land Of The Dead

**Chapter 2 :**

**The Land of the Death**

* * *

"Look Rinne, he's actually breathing!"

"I can see that Ranma but can you lower your voice?"

Ataru didn't know if he was dreaming, his head hurt a bit and apparently now he was hearing voices, ones that he didn't recognize, where they visitants in his house? And if so, what were they doing in his bedroom? Why didn't they let him sleep a bit more after all he was up at night practicing his bows at the-

_Woods, Rings, crows, Corpse girl….Lum_

"LUM!" He woke up as the memories of what happened passed through his mind, everything looked quite dark and the sudden movement made his head felt dizzy and he closed his eyes momentary while holding his head.

"Oh"

"See, you wake him up!"

A few moments passed before he could see the owners of those voices, he just looked around and…

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Ataru screamed as he fell out the bed, feeling quite perturbed to say at least when he saw them.

The first one didn't look older than him, he was a young man who had blue colored sunken eyes, in which one was clearly missing, his black hair was stylized with a pigtail, his skin was blue, his tore up red shirt was definitely Chinese and his black pants were in a better shape, his black shoes were the ones of a kung fu artist.

The second one was also a young man, probably his age, his red hair was opaque and his sunken eyes matched the color of his hair, he could look normal if his skin wasn't blue making his freckles look like bluer dots, his clothes were also interesting; he wore a strange haori, under it he had a normal white plain shirt and black pants with a simple pair of shoes.

"Rude much?" The pigtailed boy said.

"Ranma, put yourself in his shoes" The red hair boy said" The first thing he saw when he woke up was you"

"Excuse me?" The man called Ranma said" He also saw _you_"

"Well, yeah" The red-haired boy admitted" but at least I am not missing an eye"

Ataru saw them arguing in disbelief, something as simple as that action make them look so alive, it actually was helping him to control his nerves better.

"So, I am dead now?" Ataru asked, it was more a question to himself but the other two stopped arguing and looked at him.

"No, you're still alive" The red-haired boy said with a smile" put your hand on your heart"

Ataru did what he was told, eager to erase his fears and he felt his heart, beating fast under his hand.

"It's surprising to have here someone with beating heart, you know?" the pigtailed boy smiled.

"I think it must be" Ataru felt more relaxed, at least he wasn't dead yet" So did the two of you had been in this room all the time or.."

"No, we just entered a few moments ago because someone couldn't keep his curiosity in check, right Ranma?"

"Shut up, you were as curious as me Rinne"

"Ranma…Rinne" Ataru said pointing at them" Those are your names, right?

"Oh yeah, My name is Ranma" the pigtailed boy pointed to himself and then to the red-haired boy" and this good shoes is named Rinne"

"Oh, that's cool" Ataru almost cringed of his own words, it was the first time he talked to persons who were close to his age besides Shinobu, so he didn't know what to say at first" My name is Ataru"

"Nice to meet you" Rinne smiled.

"So now that I know who I am talking to" Ataru stood up off the floor and looked at Rinne" Where I am exactly? Because this doesn't look like the heaven I know about"

"Well, you're in the land of the dead and it's quite different from the one you know" Ranma began" here you walk with the clothes and injuries you were buried or killed with"

"So the eye…"

"I lost it here, so it's somewhere in this place" Ranma grinned and continued" by the way, sorry for scaring you, I am just so used to this that I forgot how this isn't normal up there"

"I was startled, sure but…" Ataru said still looking at him" sorry it will take a time to get used to looking at you"

"It's okay, I am just surprised how you calmed down so fast" Ranma said" If I was me the one who was alive, I could have kick anyone that looked like I am right now"

"Yeah, he's right" Rinne said" of all my years working with spirits you sure recovered quickly"

"It's because both of you act so alive, it actually made me remember how I am not used to had a conversation with guys the same age as me" Ataru confessed" back in my town the only person that is close to my age is my best friend Shinobu and she's a girl, the other people there were are adults and kids"

Both of them looked at him.

"Sure both of you are dead and talking corpses, but you don't act any different than the people I know" Ataru smiled "I can't say the same in your appearance though, but I have seen worse back at the hospital on my town where I helped, maybe that helped?"

"Rinne, I like him"

"Same" Rinne looked back at the door" Now, we should reunite with the girls, they have to know that you woke up"

* * *

"Lum, calm down" A girl who had pale blue eyes with long black hair said, her blue skin contrasted her simple olive dress "everything is going to be fine"

"I can't Kagome!" Lum said feeling worse" He's alive and he's here because of me!"

"Why are you so sure it was your fault?" A girl with short blue hair said, her face was a pale blue with a big cut on her right cheek, her dark blue Chinese dress was a bit decolored but her pants were in good shape with her Kung Fu shoes,

"Akane is right, maybe it was something else?" A purple-eyed girl with her brown hair styled in two braids said softly, her purple decolored dress made her look like a cute doll, the only thing that stood her up was her blue skin.

"I am not sure, but I did hear my voice, it was faint but I still heard it" Lum said with a sad expression" I don't remember saying them before, it's like.."

"Hey, 'Kane, he woke up!" Ranma exclaimed as he opened the door in one move, scaring all the girls inside.

"IDIOT!" The blue haired girl said" Didn't you learn to knock the door first?"

Lum saw them enter, Ranma began to be scolded by Akane, Rinne went to Sakura with a smile in his face and is that when she noticed the man behind him and it took her by surprise.

"Hey-" Ataru began awkwardly and the eyes of the girls were all on him.

"I am so sorry!" Lum went to the young brown haired boy" I don't know why but I think is my fault that you're here"

"Hey, calm down" Ataru said softly to her, the guilty look she had didn't suit her, wanting to make her feel better, he took her skeletal hand and guided it to his chest, where his heart was" See? I am still alive"

Lum felt his heart beating under her bones and it calmed her, both of them saw each other in silence, until Ranma cough.

"How aren't you scared to touch her skeletal hand?" Ranma said with a knowing smile" But you were scared by my missing eye?"

"Well…"Ataru didn't know why he suddenly felt flustered.

"Both of you have a ring in your left hand" Kagome said suddenly, as she saw the left hand he held on her and her skeletal one, they both had the ring in the heart finger, that only meant something but she needed to ask first, it sounded way to crazy "did both of you get married?"

Ataru and Lum only took a moment before the words sunk in.

"THE RINGS!" they said in unison before trying to take them off, both of them failed.

"Strange, you can't take them off?" Akane said with interest" You, had you feel any different with that ring?

"My name is Ataru"

"And mine is Akane" She smiled "So, did you?"

"Well, before meeting Lum at night it felt normal but when I was going closer to her it began to feel warmer"

"Hmmm" Kagome asked" and right now?"

"Nothing" Ataru felt out of place with the group of living corpses, the girls looked all normal except the short haired girl, that had a big scar in one of her cheeks.

Wait, Did he just seriously thought that they looked normal with their blue skin and sunken eyes? Was he that crazy now? He still feels scared of how normal he talked with them, they were talking corpses for _christ sake_, he should be scared shitless because of them.

_Am I really going crazy?_

"This is something weird" Kagome said" both of you should talk with the ancient Cologne, maybe she could help both of you"

"Yeah, but both of you should wait until next day "Sakura added" she just arrived for a trip and you know that she always takes a free day after it"

"Can she really help?" Ataru said with uncertainty "Does this happen often?"

"I am not sure, at least in the two years we been dead, it had never happened" the black haired girl said to him " But she's known of knowing every secret and she has a lot of books, after all she has been dead since ancient times, that's enough for me to believe in her"

"Thanks for the response, Miss..?"

"Kagome, her name is Kagome" the brown haired with braids said with a smile" And mine is Sakura, nice to meet you"

"Well, in all my days that I lived in my town, I never had the name of three beautiful girls this quickly, without being ignored" he joked, feeling comfortable with the group.

And the inexplicable happened, they all laughed with him.

* * *

"So, you accidentally put the ring on her heart finger?" Ranma's tone was amused " damn, talking about strange luck"

"Well, I didn't know that branch was her hand!" Ataru said feeling offended, they were at a tavern, were skeletons were playing billiards and if he wasn't so done of seeing dead people, he could at least be surprised when he saw the skeleton of Napoleon Bonaparte happily chanting with General Wellington, a thing it could make historians of his books laugh, however the drinks were supposed to be the best thing in here, sadly it was only kinds of liquid poison with different flavors and he kindly refused them to the already surprised dead bartender, that had a mark of a gunshot in his forehead" It was an accident"

"Still, what a shame" Rinne said before drinking his drink" it could had been interesting if you really had married her, we could have had the married boys nights"

"We just meet, why should I-"Ataru stopped and saw Rinne with confusion in his eyes "Wait, what?"

"Oh I forgot to tell you" Ranma said with a happy smile showing his wedding ring" you saw the pretty girl with short hair, she's my wife; Akane Saotome"

"And the cute girl with purple eyes is my wife" Rinne sipped his drink looking away, trying to hide a blush that didn't appear because of his state but thanks to that movement Ataru now could see clearly his wedding ring" Sakura Rokudou"

"Oh, you flirty dorks!" Ataru smiled "Who would have thought that even in afterlives the heat would be as strong as ever"

Rinne and Ranma just looked to another side, ignoring his lujurious glance.

"Still, even in this I am left out" Ataru sighed" I won't get married until a few days later"

"You mean, with the girl you were practicing your vows to?" Rinne asked intrigued" Who is she?"

"Well, she's a good friend, she talks about anything, is smart, has dreams, all the good stuff" Ataru said smiling a bit.

"You talk about her as she was your sister" Rinne commented.

"Yeah, I don't see your dumb smile when you talk about her, like the one Rinne has when he talks about Sakura" Ranma casually said, Rinne almost choked her drink.

"Or with the proud smile that Ranma has when he talks about Akane" Rinne shoot back and Ranma tensed.

Ataru just laughed, feeling happy to talk with them.

"So that's how you act when you marry the girl you love" Ataru put his hands behind his head, feeling at ease.

"Wait, you don't love her?" Rinne asked with a serious tone.

"I wish I could but I don't see her that way" Ataru felt weird for the sudden honesty, he has not been honest about his feelings about her with anyone, he didn't want to be judged back then.

"Why are you marrying her then?" Ranma looked suspicious but Ataru didn't notice it.

"Because I want my parents to be happy" Ataru began, maybe he was tired of hiding the truth for so long that it made the words flow easily" they have no money and they blindly believe that I will be happy with her in the future"

"But, if you are so unsure about it, why don't you postpone it?" Rinne's look softened "Why don't you talk to your parents?"

"You see, I been known for having really bad luck, they are so used to see me as a letdown, so I at least wanted to give them a false happiness, for all the years they wasted of me, no matter how much times I tried to be a normal kid, disasters and accidents always followed me close, most of the people in the town don't want to talk with me because they are scared of my bad luck"

"Ataru…"Ranma said unsure of what to say.

"You have to act this way, don't act like an idiot, stop flirting, you will be nothing" Ataru said feeling broken, his false smile was breaking" that's what they always said to me, so I wanted, I really wanted to be different but no matter how much I try I cannot lie to myself so much"

Ranma and Rinne kept quiet.

"But I can't say nothing, I don't have people to talk about this freely, I had no friends and the few persons that had that title don't know, because I don't want them to make them feel bad about me, I can't express how I been feeling, it's so hard"

Ataru felt a hand in each of his shoulders; it was Rinne's and Ranma's.

"You can show it right now" Rinne said with a kind smile.

"Yeah, we're dead so we don't judge like the living" Ranma joked.

Those words were enough to make his walls disappear for a moment, making Ataru broke down with them, when he finished, he felt at ease for the first time in years.

* * *

Lum and him walked through the town square to kill time, it was full of vendors who sold bones, caskets and other things he didn't want to know, he also saw dead people walk like normal persons and some even greeted him, it was interesting how lively it looked the land of the dead.

"So, you talked to them?" Lum said and Ataru felt a soft blush of embarrassment when he nodded.

To be honest, Ataru didn't' expect to get loose with the other two, it was probably the relief of talking with persons as young as him and with a similar way of thinking, it also helped that they told him about their adventures before dying and that made them quite interesting persons as well with peculiar problems, like him.

Ranma and her wife were martial artists that were always challenged by people, some honored and others not much, they were unstoppable until a bunch of assassins attacked them and hit them with poisoned darts.

Rinne and Sakura lived a similar fate, they could see ghosts and helped them to pass to the other side until they both were judged accused of doing witchcraft and sentenced to a horrible death: being throw away into the river inside a wooden box with the only fate of being drowned.

He didn't feel so alone in being a magnet to problems anymore but he wished he couldn't have known them in this circumstance, no innocent person deserved to be murdered, this only added another thing to the list of why he hated society.

"Yeah, you have some good friends with you"

"I wish I didn't' met them in this circumstance though" Lum admitted" I would have loved to met them while we were all alive"

_Déjà vu_

"I share your way of thinking" Ataru smiled as he looked at her" I am sad that they died so young and because of the sick way of thinking by other people, I can't imagine how hard is for them to clearly remember their death and what they felt in that moment"

"That's a thing I am grateful of not remembering," Lum said with a smile and Ataru stopped walking.

"You don't?"

"Well, since we're husband and wife I will tell you" She tried to tease him and it worked to his dismay.

"You don't have to" Ataru said.

"It's ok" She smiled and took a breath before beginning" You see, I know I was murdered but I don't remember who was or why I was escaping from, when I woke up here I was confused, dead people welcomed me with open arms but I was still confused, until I saw myself in a mirror, you see this part where my rips shows? I was stabbed there with something, the blood was still red and fresh but I didn't like it because it tainted my dress so I cut that part off after all the rips were already showing off"

Ataru tried hard to not get chills after hearing that, the way she was explaining her death was as unnerving as the others were, but he tried to stay calm.

"For the dress I deducted that I was going to marry "She explained "But I am sure it wasn't the person of that rumor after all, someone who loves you could never hurt you"

"Yeah, only a monster could kill another human"

"Yes" She said with a sad smile" The strange thing is that I remember parts of my life but I can't see them as a whole thing, like if they were fragmented or I feel that I lost some, maybe I also hit my head"

"It could be" Ataru said wanting to change the subject as her mood became sadder" But the only thing I see in your head is your beautiful blue hair and those interesting horns that I just discovered"

"Eh?" She said taken back" you didn't notice them?"

"Nope, the veil was distracting" He admitted" So, an ogre?"

" An _alien_ ogre" She said ashamed" did I let you down?"

"What?" Ataru looked at her, she was looking at the ground and he understood what she thought by her expression" NO! NO! You're actually a beautiful girl, no matter what race you are!"

"You think so?" She smiled a little" people always changed their way of thinking when I said the word alien, it was only here when I wasn't judged"

"Yeah, living people can be idiots, believe me" Ataru confessed" you don't need to believe in everything they said"

* * *

When they arrived the next day to the place the old skeleton Cologne was, Ataru felt a bit tired, because he discovered that no matter how dead his new friends were, they still snore a lot.

And he also noticed that a lot of people died in worse ways than the ones he knows because today he saw walking corpses with a head missing or chopped in half, he knew that he couldn't be perturbed by anything in his town after all the things he saw here.

Even the old skeleton felt more kind to his eyes than the other mutilations he saw today.

"Lum, why do you have here?" The old skeleton that went with the name of Cologne said looking and touching the hands of the young man" You brought a living person here"

"That's the problem, I don't know how and why" Lum said feeling guilty" I only remember that I was back in the land of the living, I meet him and suddenly crows were with us, my voice in my head began saying words that I don't recall and made me had a headache, after that I think I blacked out, but why did this happen? How did I came back up there? And why did I bring him with me?"

"Well, is quite simple my dear" Cologne said as he watched his ring" I have heard about similar situations in other parts on my trips, I can say that you made a plea before dying and the Moon lent you their powers to make those words take effect, the same words that you heard, were your last words"

"I did a plea?" She tried to remember, it still didn't work" But I have no memory of it"

"Is because of your Post mortem fragment amnesia, Sweetheart" Cologne said as she looked at her, she held her hands in a motherly manner" is okay if you don't remember saying it, after all is part of the moon power, you had to forget some parts of your life for the magic to work"

"Yeah, even if I don't know what plea or magic you two are talking about" Ataru looked at Lum" It was also my fault, for giving you the ring"

Lum smiled at that, feeling more at ease.

"Both of you are really acting as a married couple, as it should be" Cologne smiled" I am happy to hear that you found a good husband, dear"

Both of them looked at her surprised.

"Wait, Miss Skeleton, what do you mean by that?" Ataru hesitantly said.

"Oh, you don't know?" Cologne said amused "You're both married to each other"

"WHAT?!" they said in unison

"But, we barely know each other!"

"She's right, we just met yesterday!"

"No matter what you both said, it's already done, the young boy probably did exactly what your plea asked for and the ring was the thing that sealed it" Cologne said" This kind of moon connection is strong; Young Man, Lum will have to follow you, you can't be apart from her for not more than a half day because the ring will react in some way, the same goes with you Lum"

"Eh?!" Ataru felt anxious, this wasn't good.

"Dear Cologne is there no way to break the seal?" Lum asked.

"Of course, both of you have to renew your vows for eternity in the Land of the Dead, Young man you know that there is only one way for you to do that and with that the rings magic will be gone" Cologne affirmed

"I have to _die_?" He whispered.

"_NO_, there has to be another way!" Lum pleaded" I don't want to ruin his happiness, please, I can't take his life and will to be free!"

Ataru gazed at her, it was the first time someone besides Kaede through about how he felt, not even his parents or Shinobu did that.

"I am glad you're not selfish, sweetheart" Cologne smiled proudly as she went ahead to search on her books, it's only when she found one that she continued" Maybe in one of these books we can find another solution"

The young pair sighed in relief.

"Oh I found something" Cologne said and began to read the page" _**The moon gives wishes to people whose destiny was torn apart with a horrendous life, no matter how hard it was, it concedes the ignorance in exchange of a wish, only when the person is no longer ignorant of their memories, is when any power that was granted vanishes**_"

"Do I have to know everything about me, for the curse to break?" Lum felt insecure, was her life that horrible? She never really cared about those things until now since she was happy with the things she remembered.

_This isn't only about me, his life is in danger because of me, put it together Lum._

"Lum" Ataru put his arm around her shoulder, wanting to calm her, she looked troubled" I will help in whatever I can and I will be by your side, you're not facing this alone"

"Thank you, it actually helps me feel a little better" her words were honest.

"So, Miss Skeleton, what do we have to do?" Ataru was confident, he needed to look strong for her.

"You will go back to the land of the living and you will investigate about her" Cologne said as she looked at Lum" Sweetheart you will need to be at night in the same place you were buried, since the seal won't let you be that much time away from him, but the magic of the rings will come handy, you will need a word that makes you remember of the place of the living, so you can transport there and you young man, will have to visit the woods at night to see her, only that way you will be free from the seal for the day"

"Sure but how can I go back?" Ataru questioned.

"You will also need a word that remembers you of that place, something that defines your life back there, the magic of the moon can work with the simplest word"

"Wait, I have that magic now?"

"Yes, after all your life is intertwined with Lum's thanks to the rings"

"Okay then, let me think" He meditated for a moment, trying to find a good word to it.

_It could be, the word idiot? Na that hurts, starved of romantic affection? Nop, too real and too long, unlucky? I already repeat that world a lot, maybe something about there? The people? Or…_

_That's it!_

"I had the word but if there is the necessity to come back here, how can I do it?"

"The same way, say something that remembers you a lot of this place since you're connected with Lum, you can go back whenever you want without having the after effects of the land of the dead"

"So there were limits?" Ataru didn't think about that possibility, he asked and with luck, his voice didn't temble "What were the after effects?"

"Well, if it wasn't for that ring, you did be already dead by now, no one who can breathe air would live as long as you did" Cologne sounded dead serious, making him gulp.

"Okay" he tried to forget of the possibility of dying, so he decided to focus to find the other word, it came effortlessly in his mind after a few moments.

"Have you decided?" Cologne asked with patience.

"Yeah, it was actually easier to find the word that remembered me of here"

"Good, ready to come back?" Cologne said" The sooner the better"

"Wait, let me say goodbye first" Ataru said as he gazed back at Lum, she looked so happy for him and he only smiled" Tell the others I will visit them soon"

"Sure but can I ask you something before you go?" She asked shyly.

"Sure, go ahead"

"What's your name?" She asked with curiosity" You know my name but I still don't know yours"

"Didn't Ranma and Rinne tell you about it?" Ataru reflected" And I remember saying it when we're all together"

"No, they love to tease me so they referred to you as my husband" she said looking to another place" and my memory isn't that good"

_Was she pouting? _

"Ataru Moroboshi, that's my full name" he said with a reverence, remembering for the first time his gentleman etiquette.

She giggled.

"I will see you soon and-"He smiled at her before continuing" let's work as a team, ok, Lum?"

"Yes" She smiled back at him" we can make this work, together"

He nodded as he separated from her, when he was in a safe distance, he closed his eyes as he said the words that described the land of the living for him.

_Gray sky_

When he opened them, he saw the place where he was before, it wasn't nighttime and he could hear the church bells, he saw his ring, the bright yellow light began to shine less until the ring recovered his normal gold color.

He only sighed as he prepared himself.

It was going to be a long day of explanations.

* * *

_A/N: I hope you all liked this chapter, see you soon!_


	3. First Night

**Chapter 3: **

**First Night**

* * *

When he entered the town he expected something, a reaction from the people after his disappearance but it was clearly as a day that no one even noticed that he was gone, not even his parents because when he entered his home they only praised him for being awake so early.

It wasn't new to him the indifference of the town or the one of his family, but it still hurt.

He changed quickly to a simple pair of jeans and a white shirt and spend the morning washing the Groom clothes, after all he didn't want any problem with his best friend family.

_Best Friend_

He needed to change that way of thinking, after all he was going to marry her, he at least needed to begin to see her as an attractive girl and try to flirt with her.

But he couldn't, it didn't feel right to him and he knew she was pretty but he wasn't attracted to her.

He was screwed in a marriage for convenience and he needed to get over it, it was pretty common to have those in these hard times but he still wished to at least had an opportunity to marry someone he was attracted to and to love her with time, he thought it could have been great if his bad luck could give him a break once and give him a good ending.

But life wasn't that way for him, so he needed to cope with it like he always does.

The glint of his ring brought him up to reality.

This wasn't the time to be depressed, he will have more time to do it after the mess his in is gone, there was more important things than him.

He put on another white shirt since the other one was wet after washing the groom clothes, his pants had a similar fate so he changed those too, a blue cravat under his clack best was a good option and he put on one of his two black tailcoats, his achievements after working part-time job in the summer, his outfit was classy enough for him.

* * *

The first day was officially a totally let down; first Kaede wasn't in the town, second no one in this good damn place liked to talk about Lum beyond that made up legend, they treated her like a taboo and he didn't like that, Third apparently the Miyake's went to a familiar house because it was urgent so his practice will have to wait three days more, and that meant that they will had less time to prepare for the wedding, perfect.

_It's a good thing Shinobu's not here tho, she would have asked me a million questions right now, ones that I can't respond._

He looked at the sky, it was almost nighttime now.

His ring got warmer.

He glanced around and walked towards the woods as he saw that no one was looking at him.

Yep, it was time to see her again.

* * *

Lum felt a warm feeling surround her body and after a wink of her eyes, she was in a different place.

She looked around, the big old tree was at her back, she could hear the crickets singing in the night, she was in the woods now and she tried to put her thoughts in order since she was just talking to Kagome a moment ago in the Land of the dead and now she was here, in the Land of the living!

"So this is the power of these rings" Lum sighed, she wished the ring could give her a warning before sending her again here, like what if her friends got worried?!

Magic or not, she will have to find a way to calculate when she gets transported back here, the place where she died.

The breeze was probably cold, she could hear the leafs trembling in the trees but she didn't feel any cold, maybe a good thing for the dead, right?.

Right.

She gazes at the moon and a feeling of nostalgia invades her, a memory that she through forgotten invades her.

A song

There was a song that was about the Moon.

Did someone sing it to her? Or Did she sang it?

_**Time goes by, my dear moonlight**_

_**When I wait for you as I cry**_

_**What form will you use this time?**_

Her body began to move as she sang, something old and nostalgic crushed her being, the words slip from her mouth as if it was a song she knew by heart even if she didn't remember it.

_**You are the light in the night**_

_**The muse of the dark**_

_**Without you it couldn't be the same**_

_**Please let me be selfish**_

She went with the flow of the kinesthetic memory, feeling curiosity to know about how the song ended, it was weird and at the same time endearing, like she found out something she lost from months, years…

_**Stay by my side until my last days**_

_**Darling I will love you forever**_

_**Until the night reclaims you again**_

A masculine voice sang, the spell she was in disappeared, the surprise of not being alone anymore made her lose her balance and the lower part of her right leg separated from her.

When she was alive she always saved herself with gliding, stopping herself before hitting the ground but blood wasn't circulating in her body anymore, that meant that flying powers didn't exist now.

Her body hit the floor, confirming what she already knew.

"Are you alright?!" The voice asked as he was coming closer to her, she managed to look up and saw him and it was Mister Moroboshi himself" I am so sorry!"

Well she just embarrassed herself in front of him, great.

Before she could say something, she saw him holding the lower part of her leg on one of his hand and god this was bad, he will probably will give it to her and go, he will get scared and he….

"Please excuse me, Lum" He said as he put a hand on her back and one below her legs and he stood up with her in his arms, she got quiet as she thanked the gods that her heart was dead because she was sure that if she was alive it could be beating like crazy.

He accommodated her in one of the big rocks besides the old tree and took a look at her leg and the part he had on his hand, she was ready to tell him that she will fix it by herself but…

He united the two parts together without a problem.

"Good as new, you should be more careful you kn-" His voice stopped as he gazed at her, her eyes were beautiful and were looking at him in a way that made him feel warm.

Why was she looking at him that way? He just helped to put her leg together…

He…_what?_

Did he just do it without asking her? Did he just do it without her permission? THAT WAS RUDE, HOLY CRAP.

DID HE JUST OFFENDED HER?!

"I'M SORRY" He said quickly, panicking" Is just that I am used to these things when I am working as a helper in the hospital back at my town, that I did it without thinking, it won't happen again I promise!"

"You're not scared of me?" Her voice was so tiny he almost through it was his mind playing tricks of him.

"Why should I?" He mentally slapped himself after asking such a stupid question.

"Well, I am dead" she said" I kind of fell apart there and…."

"Lum, I would never be scared of a pretty woman" She wasn't just pretty to him, she was drop dead gorgeous on his eyes but it would be way too weird to said it out loud" You're lucky to have meet me, I am weird enough to not be blinded like the other people that live at the town"

He seated beside her and she pated his back as she began to laugh.

"Don't believe me then?" He said with a smirk" Well, besides me there is a woman who is fearless but other than that all the people get scared for everything, even the wind"

"No way, you're kidding!" She laughed more and he liked hearing that.

He began to tell her everything about the town where he lived, she laughed and he grinned remembering the incidents that happened the, it felt good to talk to her.

Their conversation shifted to a subject to another and when he said something about how people laughed at him one time when they found out he sang sometimes, the young girl remembered about the encounter they had a few hours ago.

"Mister Moroboshi…"

"Call me Ataru, Lum"

"A…Ata…" She was beginning to feel embarrassed after remembering old etiquette and he was enjoying seeing her struggle with it.

"Ataru" He repeated.

"Ataru?"

"Yes, Lum?"

"Why do you like my suffering?"

"I love to make suffer the people who are younger than me"

"But I am older than you!"

"What is your age?"

"22"

"I still win, I have 23"

"That's not fair, I was older than you when I died!"

"Yes but time passed and now I am the one that is older"

"Only for months!"

"You can be salty all you want but one year is one year"

"It's still not fair" She pouted

"I will admit it, the way you act about this is way too cute, you know that?" He smiled.

"Stop teasing me!" She whined, trying to look angry but she knew she was failing at it.

"It's fun to tease you" He smiled" But why did you become so shy after calling me by my name?"

"Because, it felt so intimate" she said quickly" As far as I remember, I never called a young man that isn't married by his name"

"I am your first? "He said surprised" Damn, stop making me feel special"

"STOP!" She said as she hit his shoulder, he just laughed.

"Sorry but I am saying the truth, after all" His left hand took her left one and held it for a while" We're partners in this remember? We should trust each other if we want to go out from this mess, so you calling me by my name is a great step to making us a better teamwork"

"_My_ mess" She sadly said.

"_Our _mess" He corrected and she gave him one the purest smile he had ever seen.

"Thanks you" Lum simply said as she put her head on his shoulder, she didn't let go off his hand.

"No worries, one of the good things of this is that I experienced the beautiful sound of your voice"

"Oh my god, how can you said that so freely? "She hid her face in his shoulder.

"I am not ashamed to tell the truth" He admitted" But gonna be honest, didn't expect you to know that song"

"I didn't know about it, I just saw the moon and for some reason it all came to me, like I didn't even notice I was singing until my body began to move by the tune"

"That's interesting" He asked" Did you had something like that in the day we meet?"

"Sadly no, you arrived almost at the same time that I did, didn't had enough time to think or look"

"Maybe being here makes your memory trigger? Even if is a physical memory is a good step"

"Probably" She gazed at him and said slowly" Do you think that song means something?"

"Well it's from a favorite book of mine actually, it's called 'The Night when the Moon Cried' "

"Oh"

"Ring any bells?"

"I don't know…"

"Don't force yourself Lum" He gave her a reassuring smile" at least we know that you knew that song, that is something new we know about you"

She smiled.

"Also is good to hear someone singing that song besides myself, you at least can do the song justice."

"But your voice is soft" she said suddenly, not looking at him" it took me by surprise when I heard you"

"Oh yeah, I am sorry for scaring you" He said scratching his head nervously" Is just that your voice sounded so beautiful and enchanting that I couldn't help it to…."

She blinked.

He blushed.

And the first curfew bell was heard, his signal to go back to his home before causing trouble, before breaking the laws of the town.

His body hesitated for a few moments, she held his hand, and he held hers with both of his hands.

"See you tomorrow" She whispered and he nodded, before letting her hand go.

He began to run, his heartbeat was beating hard but it was probably because of him running as fast as he could.

Right?


End file.
